The Seychelles – Lusso Style

Written by Scott Parker

When Lusso offered the opportunity of an educational visit to the Seychelles I was delighted to accept. Lusso are a top class luxury tour operator with whom Feherty Travel work very closely. Their commitment to luxury and excellence, coupled with the idyllic, sun-drenched destination meant that a week in their capable hands was to be eagerly anticipated. It was an anticipation that was readily delivered upon, a week in paradise that I will never forget.

My journey began at Heathrow on the morning of 16th September. Joining me on the trip were four other travel agents and two members of staff from Lusso. It was my first flight on the Emirates A380 and although we travelled economy it was surprisingly spacious and comfortable. The trip consisted of two flights. The first a six hour flight to Dubai, followed by a four hour connection to Mahe. On arrival, we were whisked off to the Raffles Lounge to freshen up before a short internal flight of 30 minutes to our first residence, the Denis Island resort.

What struck me immediately about Denis was that it was going to be a rustic island experience as opposed to a luxury resort. We checked into our individual villas and enjoyed an afternoon of leisure, relaxing by the pool. That evening we were treated to a fantastic champagne reception at sunset on the beach. After a few too many glasses of bubbly we proceeded to dinner. The majority of meals at Denis are buffet style, which contributes to a very informal and relaxed atmosphere.

Live entertainment is provided twice a week at the resort and I managed to find a three quarter sized snooker table. Having extended a challenge to one of my colleagues we settled down to a few frames, but after the first frame lasted for approximately two hours we decided to call it a night.

The next morning I enjoyed an early morning swim in the Indian Ocean giving me a perfect opportunity to take in the most beautiful of surroundings. A leisurely breakfast preceded a very informative and enjoyable island tour. Following the tour we took a lunch time flight back to Mahe where we were transferred to the relatively new resort of Constance Ephelia, for a site inspection.

The Constance Ephelia has successfully filled a gap in the market in the Seychelles by creating an affordable four – five star resort. The accommodation was three, three bedroom pool villas which we shared accordingly, although it quickly became apparent that the villa in which I was staying was to be the party spot. After Sundowner cocktails by the pool we were treated to a beautiful hosted dinner. This was followed by some more champagne and a very tasty Cuban cigar kindly donated by the hotel. We partied long into the night at our villa..

I awoke the next morning feeling ever so slightly under the weather. This was soon remedied by a lovely breakfast in the Presidential Villa after which we set off for a site inspection of the Banyan Tree Resort. This resort is now ten years old and it provides an excellent luxury option for visitors to Mahe. Although much smaller than its main competitors on the island, it is still a luxurious boutique all villa resort with a top class beach.

Following a lovely hosted lunch we checked into the Four Seasons Resort. This was undoubtedly my favourite property on Mahe. It combines beautifully the excellent standards in luxury that is the trademark of Four Seasons with a bustling atmosphere at both the pool and beach. Our accommodation was stunning. We each had an individual one bedroom pool villa situated on the hillside overlooking the resort and bay. After a thorough site inspection, we were allowed a couple of free hours to relax. I enjoyed my free time snorkelling in the Indian Ocean. It is important to note at this point that although there had been a recent shark attack in the region, well publicised by the media, I never felt uncomfortable. Once more, we were treated to a fantastic hosted dinner, where we had beef instead of the customary fish for the first time during the trip. Following the previous night’s excesses we all retired to our villas at a reasonable hour.

The next morning I woke early at 7am and headed for an early morning snorkel with my colleague Bob. We had our breakfast and then a quick chat with the Four Seasons general manager who was coincidentally from Belfast. After we checked out we headed back to the airport for a short 40 minute flight to Deroches private island resort. This was to be an experience of a lifetime and quite possibly one of the most amazing days I have ever been fortunate to have abroad.

After we arrived at the airstrip on our private jet we were taken to our four bedroom presidential pool villa. This was shared between the seven of us for the night. We were booked in for an afternoon of leisure after we had a beautiful lunch by the beach. My afternoon consisted of more snorkelling with Bob, Danielle and Amanda at the island’s house reef. This was a fantastic experience and there was not even a reef shark in sight. As we completed our snorkelling, Bob was determined to find Mickey and foraged on alone. We returned to sunbathe by the pool for the remainder of the afternoon, relaxing in preparation for what was to be a very special night.

The evening began with a hosted dinner at the waterside. The table we were sat at was hollowed out of a huge oak tree. It was pitch black around us, the only light being provided by lanterns which only served to highlight the beauty of the multitude of stars visible in the clear skies above. Our six course dinner was immaculate and on completion we were driven to the airstrip where our guide asked us to lie on our backs and look at the stars. This was an amazing experience and the quality of the view was much superior to the time I had spent stargazing in Arizona last year. We returned to our villa for another social gathering that lasted long into the night.

Day five began with breakfast, followed by a full island tour. After this we had to say goodbye to Deroches, a fantastic island that we all fell in love with in just one night. On arrival back in Mahe we enjoyed a quick tour of the town of Victoria. Here we were able to sample a taste of home by having fish and chips for lunch. After this we caught a quick 15 minute flight to Praslin where we checked in at the new Raffles resort. Although housed in beautiful, state of the art pool villas, this is unfortunately where the attraction to this resort ends. The resort is only eight months old and, in my opinion, it should not be open to the public yet. None of the foliage has yet grown so the grounds are completely barren and with adjacent villas this can lead to a lack of privacy whether you are standing in your bathroom or swimming in your pool. A buffet dinner here was followed by an early night.

The next morning we had an early breakfast before checking out of Raffles. We headed to the Constance Lemuria for a site inspection. This would be my resort of choice on Praslin. It offers a typical Mauritian feel and is a collaboration of its sister hotels the Belle Mare Plage and Le Prince Maurice in Mauritius.

After this inspection we flew back to Mahe for our final overnight stay. This was to be in the beautiful Maia luxury resort. This was, without a doubt, one of the most luxurious villa properties I have ever stayed at. The service here is of the highest standard and you are made to feel extremely welcome. The final afternoon was spent in the spa where the hotel kindly treated us to a Balinese massage. A quick dip in the pool and a hours sleep were required in preparation to enjoy our final evening together. We were hosted for a beautiful beach barbeque, where we enjoyed not only the fantastic food, but an endless amount of champagne with a final Cuban cigar to round off what was a once in a lifetime trip.

If you have any questions about the Seychelles or any other luxury holiday destinations, please contact Scott Parker at Feherty Travel on 02891 270717. Alternatively you can e-mail
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